Method for drawing sliding clasps and fixing stop members onto engaged sliding-clasp fastener tapes

ABSTRACT

A method for applying small prefabricated stop members and drawing sliding clasps onto sliding-clasp fastener tapes comprising attaching two upper stop members and one lower stop member at top and bottom ends of an engaged fastener tape, the lower member fitting over the engaged teeth of the top and providing a lower stop for the travel of the clasp, while the upper stop members are fitted in outwardly splayed fashion with the divergent ends in the direction of the tape advance so that the moving clasp can back over these members in traveling toward the lower stop member.

United States Patent Uhrig [54] METHOD FOR DRAWING SLIDING CLASPS AND FIXING STOP MEMBERS ONTO ENGAGED SLIDING-CLASP FASTENER TAPES [72] Inventor: Wilhelm Ulirig, Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany 731 Assignee: Supla Etablissement, Vaduz,

Liechtenstein, Germany [22] Filed: June 29, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 157,821

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 24, 1970 Germany ..P 20 36 709.3

[52] US. Cl. "29/408 [51] Int. Cl ..B23p 11/00, B2ld 53/50 [58] Field of Search ..29/408, 207.5 ST, 207.5 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,775,027 12/1956 Morin ..29/408 [151 I 3,698,064 Oct. 17,1972

Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Attorney-Abraham A. Saffitz [5 7] ABSTRACT A method for applying small prefabricated stop members and drawing sliding clasps onto sliding-clasp fastener tapes comprising attaching two upper stop members and one lower stop member at top and bottom ends of an engaged fastener tape, the lower member fitting over the engaged teeth of the top and providing a lower stop for the travel of the clasp, while the upper stop members are fitted in outwardly splayed fashion with the divergent ends in the direction of the tape advance so that the moving clasp can back over these members in traveling toward the lower stop member.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED 0U 17 I972 FIGB . E 2 VIII/11111111100110 a FIGA INVENTOR METHOD FOR DRAWING SLIDING CLASPS AND FIXING STOP MEMBERS ONTO ENGAGED SLIDING-CLASP FASTENER TAPES wherein members for limiting the clasp movement are attached to the tape before the clasp is inserted.

In a known method for making and fitting individual sliding-clasp fasteners from a continuous, engaged sliding-clasp fastener tape, as described in German Pat. Specification No. 1,164,140, gaps which are at least as long as the sliding clasp are cut in the rows of teeth on the continuous tape at intervals which are equal to the lengthof a fastener, and a clasp is thereafter inserted in each gap in the teethand is then pushed to the end of the row of teeth. A similar method of fitting sliding clasps is disclosed in German Pat. Specification No. 1,283,586.

In the above-described methods, the stop means for limiting the travel of the clasp are attached to the fastener tape before forming the gaps and before inserting the clasp, and to this end, a thermoplastic material, for example a synthetic plastic film, is melted onto the tapes at the site of the gap in the teeth, and the plastic material is then molded to shape the stop members for limiting the travel of the clasp.

This known method of forming the limiting or stop members by molding is cumbersome and expensive, requiring a considerable quantity of synthetic plastic material and special apparatus to apply and shape the synthetic plastic material. Also, a relatively long cooling and setting line is required. Relatively stiff and thick projections of plastic material remain on the ends of the finished fasteners and these form obstructions which interfere with later finishing operations, especially those in which the fasteners are sewn onto the selected garments.

An object of the invention is to provide economical and efficientfitting of clasps to continuous, engaged, sliding-clasp fastener tapes, whereby stop or limiting members are attached to limit the movement of the clasp travel members by method steps which are carried out at high operating speeds and which do not make the fastener ends stiff or hard to manipulate for later fastener attachment.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method wherein prefabricated, elongated and relatively small stop members serve as limiting members and wherein these stop members are directly secured to the supporting ribbons of the fastener tapes.

According to a further feature of the invention, two upper stop members and one lower stop member are used, the two upper limiting members being disposed away from the center in outwardly splayed fashion in the direction of tape advance, so that the clasp which is to be fitted can run back over these two upper members. The lower limiting member is fitted over the engaged rows of teeth atright angles and engages these teeth to provide a sharply defined lower stop for the travel or movement of the clasp.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, U- shaped metal staples are used as the limiting members,

and the staple portions are pushed through the supporting ribbons and are bent fiatontothereverse or under side of the supporting ribbon. These metal staples may be the commercially available, common metal staples which are used for fastening paperor cardboard, and, because of their low cost, do not appreciably affect the total cost of the fastener. The staples can be attached to the ribbons with the very simple, portablecommercial stapling machines and at practically any speed desired, so that the maximum operating speed obtainable for the clasping fitting process as a whole is no longer determined by the application of the limiting members, as it is in the prior art method for molding these stop members from synthetic plastic material.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, U-shaped syntheticplastic staples orsynthetic plasticbars with push-through projections are used as the limiting members and the staple portions or projections are pushed through the supporting ribbons and are deformed under the application of heat and res sure to form anchoring elements on the reverse or under side of the supporting ribbon. The use of prefabricated synthetic plastic limiting members of this kind prevents wastage of material and reduces the deformation of the tape to a minimum, while the anchoring members can be applied with very simple, portable devices, necessitating cooling times and cooling lines which are short and permitting a high production rate.

According to another alternative embodiment of the invention, prefabricated synthetic plastic bars with flat undersides are welded to the fabric of the supporting ribbons and are used asthe limiting members.

The novel method is particularly suitable for woven sliding-clasp fasteners in which the teeth are formed from woven-in synthetic extruded plastic sections.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings,which is given by way of example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of two, engaging sliding-clasp fastener tapes; I

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the tapes shown in FIG. 1, with a device for inserting the sliding clasp;

F IG. 3 shows a section through a clasp travel limiting member, on a line III- III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 represents a section along a line lV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5 and 7 show two alternative forms of clasp travel limiting members; and,

FIG. 6 represents a section along a line Vl-Vl in FIG. 5.

FIG. 1 shows two engaged sliding-clasp fastener tapes 1, each consisting of a supporting tape 2 and a row 3 of teeth. The engaged tapes I are moving in the direction indicated by an arrow 4. In the preferred embodiment which is illustrated herein, three limiting members are attached to the engaged tapes 1 for every individual fastener length. One of these limiting members constitutes the lower limiting member 5, which is disposed over the two engaged rows 3 of teeth at right angles to these rows, engages these rows, andis fixed to the two supporting tapes 2 by its ends.

The two upper limiting members 6 are disposed away from the center of the tape and are splayed upwardly, that is, in the direction of travel or advance4 of the clasp. Between the lower limiting member 5 and the upper members 6, enough space is left for a gap or a punched-out hole 7 in the teeth which is of the same size as the sliding clasp.

In FIG. 2, there is shown a sliding clasp 9 which is inserted into the hole or gap 7 by means of a feeding device 8, so that the clasp 9 lies in the same plane as the tapes 1 and its open end faces the upper limiting members 6. As the fastener tapes 1 continue to advance, their rows 3 of teeth enter the lateral channels provided for them in the clasp 9, and the front ends of the tapes 1 disengage and splay apart so that the clasp 9 runs over the limiting members 6. The feed device 8 then releases the clasp 9, which has now been fitted to the fastener tapes and is entrained by these tapes. In the same way, each fastener length in the endless fastener tapes receives its clasp. The tapes are then simply cut at the gaps or holes 7 to make the individual fasteners.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the stop members 5, 6 are in the form of staples made of metal wire and bent to form a U. The ends 10 of the staples are pushed through the supporting tape 2 and bent back towards one another.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a modified embodiment of the limiting members which consist of an elongated strip 11 of synthetic plastic with two integral, originally pointed push-through projections 12 on its underside. When the ends of the projections 12 have been pushed through, they are heated and flattened in the same manner as rivet heads are pressed, so that the strip 11 is joined firmly to the tape.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the limiting members may be prefabricated, elongated synthetic plastic bars with flat undersides which are placed on the supporting ribbon. Heat and pressure are applied, and the bars are welded and cemented onto the fabric of the supporting tape.

What is claimed is:

l. A method for assembling small prefabricated stop members and for drawing sliding clasps onto engaged sliding-clasp fastener tapes, these fastener tapes comprising tape parts held together by rows of teeth, the method comprising the steps of:

a. continuously advancing fastener tapes which are interengaged by rows of teeth of the respective parts of said tapes, there being provided gaps at predetermined intervals in the rows of said teeth for the insertion of sliding clasps;

b. attaching an elongated stop member at right angles to the rows of teeth to thereby serve as the lower stop member for the sliding clasp;

c. attaching two upper elongated stop members in outwardly splayed fashion with the ends of said upper stop members diverging in the direction of advance of said tapes so that the moving clasp will back over these upper members in sliding towards the lower stop member; and,

d. inserting a sliding clasp into one of said gaps of said tape after said lower stop member and said upper stop members have been attached.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower and upper stop members are each a U-shaped metal staple having protruding ends which push through the tape parts and are reversedly bent on the underside of said tape parts.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein lower and upper stop members are each a U-shaped thermoplastic staple having projecting portions which are pushed through the tape parts and are deformed under the application of heat and pressure to form anchoring elements on the underside of said tape parts.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein lower and upper stop members are each a synthetic plastic bar having a flat underside which is welded under heat and pressure to the fabric of the supporting tape parts. 

1. A method for assembling small prefabricated stop members and for drawing sliding clasps onto engaged sliding-clasp fastener tapes, these fastener tapes comprising tape parts held together by rows of teeth, the method comprising the steps of: a. continuously advancing fastener tapes which are interengaged by rows of teeth of the respective parts of said tapes, there being provided gaps at predetermined intervals in the rows of said teeth for the insertion of sliding clasps; b. attaching an elongated stop member at right angles to the rows of teeth to thereby serve as the lower stop member for the sliding clasp; c. attaching two upper elongated stop members in outwardly splayed fashion with the ends of said upper stop members diverging in the direction of advance of said tapes so that the moving clasp will back over these upper members in sliding towards the lower stop member; and, d. inserting a sliding clasp into one of said gaps of said tape after said lower stop member and said upper stop members have been attached.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower and upper stop members are each a U-shaped metal staple having protruding ends which push through the tape parts and are reversedly bent on the underside of said tape parts.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein lower and upper stop members are each a U-shaped thermoplastic staple having projecting portions which are pushed through the tape parts and are deformed under the application of heat and pressure to form anchoring elements on the underside of said tape parts.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein lower and upper stop members are each a synthetic plastic bar having a flat underside which is welded under heat and pressure to the fabric of the supporting tape parts. 